by Bella Jewel
Waverly nods, and then puts up a hand. “I’ve got this, Alarick. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to screw this up.”
“I get that, but you gotta know I’m just coverin’ all bases here. I can’t have anythin’ goin’ wrong, because if it does ...”
“I know the consequences.”
Does she though?
Does she truly understand what’s going to go down if this doesn’t work out for us? God, I don’t think she fucking does.
“Zariah has watch on you, as always, and we’ll be close by. He won’t be takin’ you anywhere you’re not comfortable. Understood?”
She nods. “I’ve got it, loud and clear. Now, I’m going to go and find Briella and she’s going to get me ready. I’ll be back soon.”
“Waverly,” I say, before she reaches the door.
She looks back at me.
“Is she good?”
“Briella?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Not really, but I’m sure she will be.”
Then she disappears.
I watch her go and when I can no longer see her, I turn and stare down at my phone. A phone that Briella refuses to call, a call that she refuses to answer. I’ve been trying for days, and I know she’s angry and disappointed in me, but fuck, I can only make this better if she’s willing to let me, and right now she’s not.
“Got a minute, Pres?”
I glance up to see Mykel at the door. I nod and place the phone down, and he walks in.
“What’s goin’ on?”
“A few things, actually. We’ll start with Waverly. I think you’re makin’ a mistake with her. I know I’ve told you this, and I know you’ve heard me, but Bennett is goin’ to see right through her. I know it might take a while, but when she’s in the heat of it, with Dax, can’t help but feel like she’s goin’ to break her act at some point. Tension and highly strung situations have a way of doin’ that to us.”
“I get what you’re sayin’,” I tell him, because I do, I really fucking do. “But right now, it’s the only option we have. Even if we find him, even if we locate his house, we have no way near enough men to bring him down. He’ll have us destroyed before we even touch the outskirts of his property. The only way to do this, is to do it from the inside. Is it fuckin’ risky? Yeah, it is. But it’s what we have to do.”
“Could get a few other chapters in here? See if we can get numbers?”
“Mykel, respect what you’re doin’, brother, but you gotta trust me on this, yeah?”
He nods, looking somewhat defeated. Like he was hoping one last ditch effort would make this shit go away.
It won’t.
Nothing is going to make this go away in a hurry.
“What else you got?” I mutter, grabbing a cigarette, lighting it up and bringing it to my lips, inhaling deeply.
God I need this. I fucking need it.
My stress levels are out of this world right now.
“It’s about Aviana.”
I stop inhaling, breathe the smoke that’s already in my body down deeper, and then puff it all out before asking, “What?”
“I know we got sight of her, and that it was said she was livin’ elsewhere and doin’ fine, but I’m inclined to believe that’s incorrect.”
“You want to share with me why that is?”
Mykel leans against the sofa, crossing his arms. “I’ve been lookin’ into her family’s involvement in this. Know what went down years ago with her father double crossin’ King and the shit they were gettin’ into, and there was talk her uncle was involved with Dax somehow. Likely an investor of some sort, I’m not one hundred percent sure, but somethin’ wasn’t sittin’ right with me. The whole thing felt off, so I started lookin’ into it and I can’t find any substantial evidence that Aviana is indeed livin’ a happy life somewhere else. The girl we saw, I don’t think it’s her.”
“We got no way of double checkin’ that, Mykel. No way. We’ve got so much shit goin’ down here, I can’t be lookin’ into her as well. Whatever happened to Aviana, it happened because of her family.”
“I think she’s been sold.”
I tip my head to the side. “And you’re thinkin’ that why?”
“Call it a gut feeling, I think she would have talked too much, made too much noise about everythin’. After all, the club was fuckin’ on her hit list and so was her family, she was goin’ to piece shit together and cause an all-out war they were tryin’ to avoid. Either that, or her uncle knows exactly where she is and she ain’t livin’ the dream life.”
“Again, I’m not sure what you’d have me do about it, brother?”
“She means something to Briella, she really does. If you’re wantin’ to fix whatever it is you’ve broken right now, you’re goin’ to consider Aviana because havin’ her back, knowin’ she’s safe, is goin’ to ease somethin’ in Briella that maybe she needs right about now.”
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. My shoulders are tight, my fucking body is telling me that I’m about to lose my god damned shit because there is too much going on right now.
“I hear you, and I’ll look into it. But right now, I gotta put the club first. Right now, I gotta focus on bringin’ this mother fucker down. Then, and only then, can I look into other people that may be involved in this.”
I already have one that I need to find, and that’s Cova.
Now I have to add Aviana to the god damned list.
“Hear you, and I’ll leave it at that.”
He turns to walk out, but I stop him.
“Go and check on Briella for me. I know you’re the one person she’ll talk to in this club. Make sure she’s okay.”
Mykel nods. “Got it.”
Then he’s gone.
Fuck.
I need a stiff drink.
“IT WENT WELL,” ZARIAH says, standing in front of the group of bikers sitting around a table. “He is falling for it, and I happened to overhear him on the phone to someone, I can only hope Dax. He was saying something about another one. I have to guess that other one is Waverly. She put on a hell of a show.”
“Won’t be long now, then,” I say. “He’ll take her out there, introduce her to the man himself, and they’ll start brainwashin’ her into believin’ they can give her this amazin’ life somewhere else.”
“Do we have any idea how exactly they do this?”
I do have an idea, but it’s not somethin’ widely known, considerin’ the information came from King and as far as everyone knows, King is dead. I have to tread carefully with how much I’m givin’ away right now.
“I can only guess they’re introducin’ the girls to ‘families’ so to speak. People with nice houses and a lot of money, and all the wonderful things in the world. Those girls think they’re goin’ to live with those people, to have this wonderful life considerin’ they’ve lived such a bad one, and most of the time, this is going to be enough. You have to remember some of these girls are heavy drug users, and so the idea of being provided a life without havin’ to worry, is a big thing for them.”
Zariah nods. “It makes sense. Bennett has been acting extra shady at work. He is keepin’ to himself, which is tellin’ me he’s getting deeper into this.”
“Bennett is already sheathed as far as he can go in this, believe me,” I grunt.
Samson chuckles.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Zariah murmurs. “Either way, we’re on the right track. Now, I have to go and pick up my son.”
I glance at her. “You got a kid?”
She stares at me. “Yes, why? You think I can’t have a career and a kid?”
“How old are you?”
She rolls her eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Now, I have to go. Not all of us have the luxury of living on our own watches.”
“Catch you later, then,” Kendric mutters, and Zariah shoots him a glare that only confirms the two of them dislike each other as much as Waverly and Mykel.
&
nbsp; Fuck me.
Would it be too much to ask for everyone to just get the fuck along?
Seems like it.
“You need to teach a few of your members some manners,” Zariah points out.
“They’ve got them,” I say, grinning. “They just choose not to use them around you.”
She shakes her head. “Bikers,” she mutters, before turning and walking out.
She won’t admit it, but she likes them.
How can she not?
They’re fucking legends.
As soon as Zariah has gone, Kendric mutters, “Cops, and bikers, this ain’t goin’ to end well.”
“Finally someone that agrees with me,” Mykel murmurs.
“Okay,” I say, standing. “If you fuckers are goin’ to complain constantly, do it somewhere else, yeah? I got shit to do.”
I turn and walk out of the room and down the hall to my office. As I pass, Maggie, a club whore, passes me and winks. “Do you need some lovin’, Pres?”
I stop and stare at her. “Don’t fuck with me, Maggie. You know I’ve got an old lady, if you want to remain in this club, respect that.”
She pouts and steps closer. “It’s just I heard you two broke up, I thought you might want your dick sucked like old times? We could do it in your favorite spot? The pool table. Or you could eat me out in the kitchen like you did that time. Fuck I miss your mouth, and your cock, too. Though the other guys more than make up for that.”
I step closer to her, and she grins up at me.
“Back up.”
“I’m not trying to cause a scene, I was just offering.”
She shrugs and walks off, and I turn to head back to my office when I see Briella standing in the hallway. The look on her face is one of hurt, and I can understand why. She didn’t need to hear how many times I fucked that bitch, or what I did with her. God knows I don’t want to hear how many men Briella has had.
Her face scrunches and she murmurs, “Here I was coming to see if we could talk, only to find out you’ve got plenty of company.”
“She ain’t my company, Briella. If you missed the part where I told her to get the fuck out, then you weren’t listenin’ hard enough.”
“Oh, I was listening. Loud and clear. I heard absolutely everything you’ve done with her. And here I was thinking we had something special.”
“You’re overreacting.”
I’m grumpy, no fucking doubt about it. I’m tired and I’ve had about enough of people at this point, I don’t need my girl, who is currently not speaking to me, making things worse by bringing up old flames.
“You know I’ve fucked a lot of women, you also know I don’t like talkin’ about it. You know I’m faithful and if you want to live in the past, that’s on you.”
She glares at me and shakes her head. “You know, a little compassion would go a long god damned way right now.”
“Compassion?” I bark at her. “You haven’t given me the time of fuckin’ day to explain a single fuckin’ thing. Now you want fuckin’ compassion?”
Her face hardens. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here.”
“No, you’re right, you shouldn’t have. I don’t need this shit right now.”
She shakes her head and growls, “Fine, then I’ll leave you to it.”
She turns and storms out.
I slam my fist into the wall with a loud bellow.
Fuck this.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck!
13
BRIELLA
After leaving the clubhouse hearing Alarick’s angry bellow, and his fist slamming into the wall, I get in my car and drive. I drive so quickly, hoping that Mykel, who brought me here, won’t get a chance to follow me. No doubt he thinks I’m in talking to Alarick, and I’m hoping I got out quickly enough that he won’t be able to catch up with me even if he does realize I’m gone.
I know what I’m doing is stupid, but my head is spinning, and I feel like I’m going to fucking drown.
I’m done doing the right thing.
Fucking done.
Hearing Maggie go on about how many times she had been with Alarick felt like a knife to the stomach. I get it, we’ve all got a past but right now, in the state I’m in, hearing that made things so much worse for me. I’m sick and tired of feeling the way I’m feeling. I want this to be over, I just don’t know how to finish it.
I drive for a while, through the streets, up and down the roads, just letting my mind run away with me. My phone rings a lot, Alarick mostly, Mykel some. I know they’ve figured out I’m gone, and I know they’re angry, but right now I just don’t fucking care.
I pass the main street and slow down when I see Bennett’s car parked down the side of a building. I stop my car and get out, glancing around before heading toward where his car is parked. I’m curious to see where he is and what he’s doing. I’m in town, so it’s not like he can abduct me or anything, right?
His car is incredibly obvious. It’s not a cop car, because he only drives that when he’s at work and obviously right now he’s not at work. The car he drives during his down days is a bright blue, loud, sleek looking thing. I have no idea what brand it is, I just know it sticks out like a sore thumb.
I tip toe down the side street and glance at his car.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I test the doors.
It’s open.
Grinning, I glance around again before climbing into it and gently closing the door. I keep a look out the entire time, but I quickly open his glove compartment and start frantically shuffling through his letters, trying to figure out if there’s anything at all in here I can use. Information. Anything. There isn’t much to go on, but I keep flicking through them anyway.
When I turn again, I see Bennett walking down the side alley straight toward the car. Freaking out, and knowing I can’t climb out, I shove the glove compartment closed. With a pounding heart and shaking hands, I make a rash decision. I slide quickly into the back and tuck myself behind his seat, praying he doesn’t open the back door. I reach for my phone, exhaling when I realize I’ve got it, and quickly turn it on silent just as the car door opens and Bennett slides in the front seat.
Oh, god.
This was a bad fucking idea.
What was I thinking?
I can’t do anything now that’s not going to risk my life, so I stay quiet as he reverses out and then speeds off down the road.
He drives, and he drives.
My whole body aches.
I know my phone will be ringing off the hook right now.
I try not to move, not to breathe, not to do a single thing to make him look back. I’m lucky I’m small enough to fit well behind his seat, and he’s got a few things in the back that sort of slide around and cover me even more, which I’m grateful for.
After what seems like hours, he finally comes to a stop.
My legs are aching, my whole body is stiff, and once he’s out of the car, I exhale just slightly and move. Just enough to peer out the window.
We’re at a house, a large house. An estate. On land.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out we’re at Dax’s estate.
Everything in my body sparks to life as I watch Bennett walk up to the front door and go inside. I glance around, seeing as best I can, and I can see huge security cameras in the lot. Everywhere. They’re covering mostly the house, and they also go off into the direction of the large paddocks that disappear into thick trees.
Shit.
I’m not going to be able to get out of this car without being seen.
I stare down at my phone and see so many missed calls.
If I tell them where I am, they’re going to lose it.
Instead, I take photos.
I take photos of everything I can see from inside the car. Cameras, signs, driveways, paths, gates, anything that might help us if we decide to ever storm this place.
It’s late afternoon, and the sun is starting to set. Th
at’s the only time I can figure I’m going to get out of this place without being seen. There is no way I’m getting out while the sun is still up. I rummage around in Bennett’s car, constantly keeping an eye out to make sure no one is coming. I find a workout bag and open it to find an old sweater, some running shoes, a shirt, shorts, and a tennis racket.
Ew.
I’m going to need that sweater when I finally get out of this car.
If I can cover myself, and run, at least they won’t see my face.
I decide to pull the shirt over my body first, being that Bennett is a bigger man, it covers most of me. Then I pull the sweater on, to make sure I can cover my face, and I wait. I wait, feeling sick to my stomach. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. I can’t believe I’m here. This is certainly not how I saw my day going.
I thought I could get in and out of his car, not end up being stuck in the back of it and being driven to this hell hole. Now here I am, wondering how the hell I’m going to get out without being caught. Or shot. Or something even more horrible.
I could just wait in this car until he comes out, but what if he doesn’t come out? He decides to stay the night and play whatever horrible games they’re playing in there. It’s already dark, and he hasn’t returned, my guess is he’s probably not going to and by now Alarick will be losing his mind.
I have to go.
I wait another half an hour, deciding not to text Alarick just yet if I don’t have to. If he knows I’m here, he’s going to go crazy. So for now, I just tell him I’m safe and not to worry. That’s not entirely true, because I’m not at all safe, but I don’t want him going on a rampage through the entire town trying to find me. I’ll call him when the time is right, and I know I’m out of here without any issue.
When the sun has fully set, and there is no light around, I decide it’s time to run for it. I have a plan in my head, I looked around thoroughly enough, and can see if I get out and run straight down the driveway, I’m likely to get onto the road eventually where I can call for a ride. I push the car door open and peer out. I know the security cameras are going to pick me up, there is just no way of avoiding it.
